by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Purchases 5% Equity Stake in ProCredit from IFC, Increasing Exposure to SMEs in Europe, Ecuador

The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently purchased a 5-percent stake in Germany-based ProCredit Holding from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), along with a

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Lab Accepting Applications from Entrepreneurs in Latin America, Caribbean for WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition, Partner of Google for Startups, Through March 31

WeXchange, a program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s IDB Lab, recently started accepting applications from female entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean for the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition. The competition targets women whose businesses

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Svasti of India Raises $5m via Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Women’s Livelihood Bond Issue

India’s Svasti Microfinance recently raised USD 5 million via a bond issue by the Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), a for-profit firm in Singapore, with the goal of catalyzing income generation for low-income women. The funding is provided

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Launches Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF) with $39m to Invest in Africa, Asia

The Belgium-based investment firm Incofin recently launched the Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF), a private equity fund with the objective of reaching 30 million people with access to safe drinking water, primarily in Africa and Asia. In particular

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: ¡Viva el Cooperativismo – A Powerful and Efficient Way of Helping One Another!

According to the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), a credit union is “a customer/member-owned financial cooperative, demo­crati­cally controlled by its members, and operated to maximize the econo­mic benefit of its members by providing financial services at competitive and fair rates.” In short, savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) are member-based institutions that intermediate savings into loans, enabling low-income populations to accumulate savings and create a source of credit at reasonable rates. Cooperatives represent an economically viable avenue for changing people’s lives, based on the powerful idea that

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Lends $10m to Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD) to Boost Green Investment

The Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently lent USD 10 million to the US-based Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD), a funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that export agricultural products. The loan is intended to support

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 25th MFC Annual Conference: Thriving Together; May 24-25, 2023; Budva, Montenegro

This event is organized with the goal of addressing evolving challenges such as climate change, political instability and the “uncertain future of work.” The agenda includes sessions such as: (1) 25th Anniversary Time Travel: Lessons From the Past That Point to

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Technology for Change Asia; March 20-21, 2023; Singapore

The third iteration of this annual event will focus on how technology “can be applied to long-standing social challenges to connect with the consumer.” The event offers virtual sessions on March 20 and in-person sessions on March 21 on topics including: (1) Unlocking the Power of

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Arab Women Authority, National Bonds Partner on Financial Inclusion for Women in MENA

The Arab Women Authority, an NGO aimed at empowering Arab women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), recently entered into a strategic partnership with National Bonds, a UAE-based investment company owned by the government of Dubai, with the goal of enhancing women’s economic power. In particular, the entities plan

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bidhaa Sasa Borrows $500k from Spark+ Africa Fund for Distribution of Efficient Cookstoves in Kenya, Uganda

Bidhaa Sasa, a Kenya-based last-mile distributor of lower-emission cooking and lighting products, recently borrowed USD 500,000 from Spark+ Africa Fund, an investor in “modern energy solutions.” Bidhaa Sasa plans to use the proceeds to

by Saulius Ramanauskas -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion That Works for Women,” by Sam Mendelson, Published by e-MFP

This paper explores model practices in financial inclusion for women through the work of the winner and nine semi-finalists for the European Microfinance Award 2022. Mr Mendelson sorts the lessons learned into three approaches to how financial services providers (FSP) can foster women’s financial inclusion: offering

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Private Asset Impact Fund Report 2022;” by Anne Estoppey, Ramkumar Narayanan; Published by Tameo

This report is derived from a survey of managers of private asset impact funds (PAIFs), which are defined as investment vehicles “that have more than 50 percent of their non-cash asset[s] allocated both to private debt or private equity instruments and to emerging and frontier markets, with a development impact bias.” The survey sample comprises

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank’s IDA Lending $15m to Djibouti for Low-income Housing Finance, Policy Reform

The International Development Association (IDA), a unit of the World Bank, recently agreed to lend USD 15 million to Djibouti for a project intended to: (1) scale up an existing partial guarantee fund to boost

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Publish What You Fund Releases DFI Transparency Index Ranking Disclosure Record of 30 Development Finance Institutions

Publish What You Fund, a UK-based NGO aimed at increasing the transparency of international development efforts, today launched its DFI Transparency Index, which examines and ranks the operational transparency of 30 development finance institutions (DFIs). The rankings are based on

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DEG Loans Husk Power $750k for Solar Microgrids in Nigeria, India

The German development finance institution Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) recently lent USD 750,000 to Husk Power Systems, an India-based supplier of small-scale electricity generation and distribution networks, to construct